The present invention is generally directed to a press-in spring clip for pressing into bores of a printed circuit board. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a press-in spring clip having a plurality of contact springs, each being made of a sheet metal strip and having a contact part, a fastening section and a terminal region; the spring clip also having a two-part insulator body in which the contact springs are respectively arranged individually in chambers in at least one row and are secured such that insertable press-in parts project from the lower part of the insulator body.
The installation of such spring clips into the bores of a printed circuit board conventionally is performed by simultaneously plugging from above a pressure pin respectively into each spring contact from the contact part side opposite the circuit board and into the insulator body then, pressure is subsequently exerted, in a manner similar to plugging the spring clip to a blade connector. This conventional press-in technique is problematical since the non-plated pressure pins come into contact with the contact springs during press-in, whereby damage may occur due to the pressing power which can amount to up to 120N for a dependable contacting. Since spring clips typically have a larger plurality of poles, the press-in pressure members required for pressing look somewhat like a bed of nails. In view of the necessary precision and plurality of types that, of course, are required per number of poles, these press-in pressure members are complicated and cost-intensive tools, regardless of whether they are utilized in manual presses or automatic press-in units.
As background information, but not constituting prior art, German Patent Application, Ser. No. P 43 29 151.1, discloses a spring clip that can be pressed in with a flat die. Therein, a central, inner insulator body part is provided with noses at both sides that respectively engage into a recess provided in the fastening section of the contact springs. However, such a system is principally suited for spring clips having an arrangement of the contact springs in two rows.